Govt secures 415bn/- loan for construction of Dodoma ring road

TheGovernment has secured a TZS 415.3 billionloan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for construction of a 110 kilometre ring-road around Tanzania’s capital city.

Speaking to workers during the International Workers' Day marked at national level in Mbeya, President John Magufulirevealed that the bank approved the loan to the country on 30 April this year to fund construction of a four-lane road around the city.

“The ring road shall allow traffic not destined for Dodoma City to bypass it in a quick and easy way,” said President Magufuli about the new infrastructure.

TPJ understands that heavy vehicles approaching Dodoma from the four main trunk roads willbe diverted into the ring road either to bypass the city or to transfer to another radial route to suit their destination,thereby avoiding the citycentre.

In addition, there will also be transfer of traffic to the ring road from the traffic that currently uses a network of roads within the city.

According to President Magufuli, the government has also invested up to 1.2 trillion shillings for improving the country's major sea ports of Dar es Salaam, Mtwara and Tanga,as part of a strategy to reapthe benefits of what has come to be known as the blue economy.

Furthermore, the government has spent 287.9 billion shillings for procurement of new ships,now under construction, which will offer services in lakes Victoria, Nyasa and Tanganyika, the President said adding that on fishing and other marine activities, the government would continue to invest in the sector as per available resources.

Earlier, the General Secretary of Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA),YahyaMsigwa,had hailed the government's efforts towards investment in big infrastructures but also suggested that the efforts should go in hand with setting up the right environment for the people to harvest the country’s marine resources